Hutcherson Scam is DOA

Today is November 19th and Microsoft’s Annual Stockholder Meeting was held at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue.  As promised, Reverend Ken Hutcherson turned up to speak his truth challenged and barely coherent piece in favor of Thomas Strobhar’s Shareholder Proposal No.3 (Proposal 7) which would require that Microsoft “list the recipients of corporate charitable contributions of $5,000 or more on the company website.” 

In contrast to previous outings he seemed more in command of himself but he didn’t make any clear argument that spoke to the proposal.  Due to some, err, “logistical challenges” I only have a partial transcription of his remarks from today’s meeting until the official transcript comes out later today (UPDATED with full transcript):

Mr. Hutcherson: Thank you, I appreciate the opportunity to speak towards this.  We believe that there is an opportunity, ah, to correct a process that this company is not, should I say, not being very open minded to who we support, why we support because we are supporting the issue that we believe, especially as an African American, that there are problems in where you are sending your charitable gifts towards the homosexual community.  I do not believe our company would ever support a group of people that is very prejudicial in their views, that is very intolerant in their views, that is very hateful in their views and I think that you gentlemen and the rest of the stockholders if you watch television have seen the example […] of many of the homosexual, ah, groups and activists that this company is putting millions of dollars in supporting and,  ah, I don’t think this company and the stockholders, and myself, is pretty excited about a group of individuals that will run around and call the African American community, especially 70% of the traditional black church that voted to help pass proposition 8, have been called the “n” word on national television.  This company is saying that we will continue to support groups like that.  Have attacked groups - you’ve seen it on television, if you have a television, if you watch the news at all, what has taken place towards the African-American church, ah, what has happened to evangelical churches that has stood and just voted, and exercised their freedom in voting and they have been attacked by these groups.  One old lady was taken and a cross was taken out of her hands, stomped, and she was pushed around, one woman had her bible taken out of her hand and was hit across the head and knocked down and if it was a white supremacy group that was doing exactly the same thing, this company would be the first to stand up and, ah, and deny that we’re going to support any group that was doing such things.  Yet still I’m asking this company to make sure we vote down putting this kind of money, millions of dollars, in a group that is not good for the family, millions of dollars in a group that is proven intolerance (sic), millions of dollars in a group that has proven that they - do not - like - anyone - that does not think the way they do.  And I think this company has a right and a responsibility not to put millions of dollars in an intolerant, hateful, group such as this.  That is why we are having this resolution, that is why we would like for the stockholders to vote it down and the board not to support this group. Thank you.

Mr. Liddell: Thank you, Mr. Hutcherson.  The board recommends a vote against this proposal for the reasons set forth in the companies proxy statement.

Here is what Hutcherson said, and what it really meant:

Hutch-Land: Microsoft gives millions of dollars to gay groups! 

Reality: I call bullshit.  Microsoft gives money to many different community groups but I don’t know of *any* that get “millions”.  Corporate Risk Management means that companies like Microsoft have a very narrow set of things that they can fund.  Political contributions are just too risky. 

Bottom-Line: Put up or shut up, Hutcherson, you pathetic liar. What specifically is Microsoft funding and for how much and how is it “anti-family”? 

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Hutch-Land: Teh Gays called Teh Blacks, especially Black Churches, the ‘n’ word.

Reality: Err, no, that never happened.  A distraught individual who was angered when the right to marry was stripped from us used the taunt at an otherwise peaceful and orderly protest.  Perhaps they were overcome with the injustice that calling someone the “n'” word is a taboo considered so terrible that we don’t repeat it, but calling us hateful names like “fag” and “dyke” is so normal and accepted that it’s regularly used in every city and town in this nation.  Hardly a week goes by when we don’t see and hear “God Hates Fags” or something similarly hateful being flung at us. 

Bottom-line: Until you shut down the entrenched homophobic speech and violence in your religious communities, spare me your faux f*cking outrage at isolated incidents like these. 

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Hutch-Land: The African-American Church is under attack by teh Gays.

Reality:  It’s the Mormon Church who has been on the receiving end of peaceful and positive nationwide protests since the passage of Proposition 8 in California.  Black Churches didn’t have as great an impact on Proposition 8 – Mormons did.  Don’t get me wrong, the rampant homophobia in the African-American community is a big problem but it’s not just isolated to churches. 

Bottom-line: Get your community on the right side of history or get out of the way.

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Hutch-Land: Millions of dollars are going to teh gays and they are not good for families.

Reality:   There are no millions.  Gays and Lesbians come from families and they want to create their own families.  You, and people like you, are making it harder for gays and lesbians to be accepted by their original families and to create their own families. 

Bottom-Line: YOU ARE THE PROBLEM.

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Hutch-Land: OMG! Teh Gays are just like White Supremacists!

Reality:  Voters in California, including a majority of voters over 65 and African-Americans, just voted to remove rights from a minority group.  Congratulations to your minorities for this minority gutting precedent!  Unless the gay and lesbian minority submits meekly to the tyrannical will of the majority without protest, they are exactly like white supremacists.  Except that they aren’t trying to take anything from anybody. And the protests are overwhelmingly peaceful and many of the people marching aren’t even gay or lesbian.  Can’t we all just get along?

Bottom-line:  You don’t get to take rights away from a minority group and get to make them the bad guys for not liking it.

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Hutch-Land:  Millions and Millions and Millions of Dollars for an intolerant hate group!  ZOMG!

Reality: A description better used to describe groups that use their fund raising, tithing and other activities to remove minority civil rights rather than expand and protect them.  Gays and lesbians cross all ethnic, religious, social, and economic boundaries so we are no groups natural enemy.  Take your primitive Jets vs. Sharks thinking somewhere else.

Bottom-line: No Millions.  No Hate.  No “Us vs. Them”.

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There was no great suspense in the outcome, as the Board of Directors opposed the Proposal.

At the close of voting Shareholder Proposal 3 failed to be adopted with only 4.5% of shareholders voting in it’s favor.  Hutch didn’t seem too phased by what he has known from the beginning would be the outcome. 

Perhaps he was comforted by all the money he got from scamming the faithful.  They probably don’t even know that in typical Hutcherson style, his much ballyhooed proxy scam web site AGNFINANCIAL.ORG quietly fell of the internet sometime after the end of August.

He showed up at the Product Fair after the meeting (see above photo) looking very interested in Microsoft’s Surface and Zune hardware and software products.  He asked for cards from some of the demonstrators so he can’t be that opposed to all things Microsoft.

It just goes to show that shameful shilling and shopping go together just fine.